The CLO as Brand Ambassador

There are three questions every learning leader should be able to answer about branding in their organization.

Chief learning officers mainly focus on learning and development at their organizations. How can CLOs promote the organizational brand? Should they dabble with the brand at all? As a CLO, how can you share your perspective on branding with your C-suite colleagues including the chief marketing officer and the CEO? These are just a few basic questions, and if you don’t have time to figure all this out, fear not. We have the basic research for you right here:

How can CLOs promote the organizational brand?

It’s easy as 1-2-3:

1) Learning and development focuses on developing talent.

2) Talent is an organization’s best asset.

3) Branding highlights what is best about an organization.

Ergo, learning and development can play a critical factor in promoting an organization’s brand.

Should CLOs dabble in branding at all?

Yes, just ask Kimo Kippen, the CLO and brand ambassador for Hilton Worldwide. As of June 2015, Kippen has been very involved in promoting the Hilton Worldwide brand by serving on boards of professional societies and universities and speaking about how to attract, develop and retain the best talent.

By dabbling in branding, learning leaders can further align learning to strategic goals, which is fundamental to organizational profitability and growth.

How can CLOs communicate branding ideas to the chief marketing officer and the CEO?

With passion and data. Enthusiasm needs to be couched with evidence. Here is one fundamental data point you can use: many research studies have shown that a learning organization is a growth-mindset organization, and growth-mindset organizations show higher performance and profitability.

Today, some of the most valuable brands in the world are Apple, Google and Microsoft. Not surprisingly, these organizations also are among the most profitable organizations and among the most sought-after employers in the world because they invest and develop in their talent.

So, go ahead, reach out to your CMO and have a chat about how learning and development can help grow your brand through your organization’s learning and development programs.

Marina Theodotou is the director of professional development at the Computer Science Teachers Association. Comment below, or email editor@CLOmedia.com.